1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to novel cosmetic or dermatological compositions including an extract of Silybum marianum fruits which are rich in Silymarine associated with essential fatty acids
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
The extract of Silybum marianum called "Absolute Hawthorn" is a substance which blocks the formation of free radicals. A free radical is an atom or molecule which has transitionally acquired an unassociated electron This unpaired electron has a reverse spin, and confers a very high reactivity to the radical, i.e., a great capacity to react with surrounding molecules which will in turn become free radicals.
This mechanism makes it possible to explain the very high toxicity of these "excited molecules". It is thus that the free radicals will attack key elements of the cell such as the nucleus, proteins and more particularly the membrane.
Yet, the essential fatty acids are the components of the phospholipide membranes and are particularly vulnerable to the free radicals, at their double bonds.
It should be remembered that these carbon-carbon double bonds assure the membrane structure and solidity. The intervention of the free radicals will introduce breaks, angulation modifications which render the membrane less solid, less fluid and less capable of assuring the regulation of the ionic movements.
These membrane alterations will disturb the metabolism of the cell. Less well protected, less well oxygenated, and more poorly nourished, the cell will slowly lose its ability to multiply, will sclerose and then die. It is thus that the free radicals and the processes of peroxydation which they cause, play a significant role in the aging of the cells and then the skin.
It is thus particularly desirable to combine in a cosmetic or dermatological composition "the Absolute Hawthorn", a particularly effective trap of free radicals, which acts in a preventive manner, with the essential fatty acids which have a repairing role.